My Story, written by Sophie Caperwell
I don’t really remember the first time I rode a bike.
I think it was up and down the garden. My sister could already ride a bike, so I really wanted to join in.
My dad used to coach at the local cycling club, and we only used to cycle recreationally. But it didn’t take long for me and my sister to go from playing in the field next to the cycling circuit to thinking “we want to be part of that”.
I don’t think it was my parents’ intention to get us riding a bike, but we kind of couldn’t help it. All our lives, we were surrounded by people riding bikes. The people dad coached were the people I looked up to. They were my inspiration. Along the way, my parents helped me and supported me too, and my sister was my competition on track, which all helped to motivate me as I progressed through the sport.
I joined Lichfield City Cycling Club as a junior. I initially went along to their Go Ride events before moving on to circuit races and more competitive events. I tried out quite a few disciplines along the way, including mountain bike, and cyclo-cross (even though I often sank in the mud!)
Realistically, though, I was always destined to be a track sprinter. I could get through those other races, and often did quite well in them, but I’ve had the quads of a sprinter since a young age, so being a sprinter was always my destiny!
It was around the age of 13, when I first got onto the GB Olympic Development Squad, that I thought to myself, “oh, yeah, sprint cycling, that’s what I want to do”. And then, as a junior, my first international championship event was at the Olympic Park in Athens, and I just remember going there and being like, “this is what I do now, this is my career”.
I ended up doing a lot of competitions quite quickly when I first moved up to Manchester. Because of the way the squad was set up; there was Katy Marchant and then me, so I got to compete internationally a lot quicker than most people do when they join the programme. As a result, it gave me the chance to step up quite early in my career. And now, with the squad where it’s at, it’s coming full circle as Katy and I will be on the squad heading to Paris for this summer’s Olympics.
Dad and I always spoke about his time at the Paralympics and Atlanta. Sadly, I lost him a couple of years ago, so this is all even more special because I feel connected with him through the Games experience. The kitting out day was special, as I know dad would have gone through the same routines a few years ago.
Going to Paris feels like a dream, and it’s just good to see it all coming together. But at the same time, all that hard work does not feel like a dream…! I’m really excited for the Games and can’t wait to show everyone what the team and I can do.
